Metric Modes
Retina provides three modes with their own metrics and scale capabilities. Each mode is fully customizable (only create the metrics/labels you need).
Note that below, "metric cardinality" refers to the number of time series (metric values with a unique set of labels). The larger the cardinality, the more load induced on a Prometheus server for instance.
| Mode | Description | Scale | Metrics | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Metrics aggregated by Node. | Metric cardinality proportional to number of nodes. | Link to Metrics | Link to Installation |
| Advanced/Pod-Level with remote context | Basic metrics plus extra metrics aggregated by source and destination Pod. | Has scale limitations. Metric cardinality is unbounded (proportional to number of source/destination pairs, including external IPs). | Link to Metrics | Link to Installation |
| Advanced/Pod-Level with local context | Basic metrics plus extra metrics aggregated by "local" Pod (source for outgoing traffic, destination for incoming traffic). Also lets you specify which Pods to observe (create metrics for) with Annotations. | Designed for scale. Metric cardinality proportional to number of Pods observed. | Link to Metrics | Link to Installation |
Where Do Metrics Come From?
A Retina agent generates metrics on each Node. The Linux agent inserts eBPF programs and gathers data from Linux utilities. The Windows agent gathers data from HNS and VFP.